Paris, Nov 14 (IANS) The toll from a series of explosions and shootings in France capital Paris rose to 153 on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported. Multiple shootings rocked central Paris Friday night, one of which was at the Bataclan theatre and concert hall where hundreds of people were attending a concert of a rock group. Four suspected terrorists were killed at the Bataclan theatre.

Below is an expert write up by a senior citizen and intellectual from Nepal Mr Tara Nath Ghimire. Nepal at the moment is facing a lot of problems due to the heavy shortage create by non availability of necessary items. These goods normally go into Nepal from India. Unfortunately Nepal blames India for the blockade that has been going on for more than two months now. China at present is active in supplying these necessary items to Nepal. In the process India could be a big looser in export of goods to Nepal.

Aggravating humanitarian crisis due to disruption of the transit on the southern border. Take all necessary measures to end the humanitarian crisis that Nepal and its people are facing.The very obvious obstruction on fuel and other goods at border points has already pushed the country to the brink of a massive humanitarian crisis. Short supply of fuel has directly affected day-to-day life of people and has infringed upon their education, health, mobility, food, social and economic rights among others. The situation is worsening by the day. Express strong concern at the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, development, international relations, trade, investment and cooperation.

By Tara Nath Ghimire
Kathmandu, Nepal

We wish Diwali brings prosperity by the grace of Goddes Laxmi. Provided your hard work is involved in it.

May the lights illuminate your house and heart.

Caution- Please don’t drink and drive. Don’t gamble much.

(9 Nov) In his first public comments on the latest scandal rocking the Vatican, Pope Francis told followers in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday that the theft of documents describing financial malfeasance inside the Holy See was a “crime” but pledged to continue reforms of its administration. The pope said that publishing the documents in two books released last week “was a deplorable act that doesn’t help.” The books, “Merchants in the Temple” by Gianluigi Nuzzi and “Avarice” by Emiliano Fittipaldi, detail mismanagement and alleged greed in the Vatican, and are seen as part of a bitter internal struggle between reformers and the old guard.

“This sad fact will certainly not divert me from the reform work that we are pursuing with my collaborators and with the support of all of you,” the pope said to cheers from the crowd. Among the disclosures in “Merchants in the Temple,” Nuzzi writes that the cost of sainthood can run up to half a million dollars and tells the tale of a monsignor who allegedly broke down the wall of his neighbor, an ailing priest, to expand his apartment. Fittipaldi, meanwhile, claimed that a children’s hospital foundation had paid 200,000 euros ($215,000) toward the renovation of the apartment of the Vatican’s No. 2 at the time, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and that nearly 400,000 euros donated by parishioners worldwide to help the poor was funneled to pay for Vatican administration. The pope underlined that the leaked documents were the result of the reform course that he began and that measures had already been taken to address problems, “with some visible results.”

Pope Francis has made it a top priority to reform the Vatican bureaucracy known as the Curia, a hive of intrigue and gossip. He appointed a commission of eight experts in 2013 to gather information and make recommendations after an earlier expose helped drive his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, to a historic resignation. Two former members of that commission have been arrested as part of an investigation into the stolen documents. Last week the Vatican described the books as “fruit of a grave betrayal of the trust given by the pope, and, as far as the authors go, of an operation to take advantage of a gravely illicit act of handing over confidential documentation.” It added that the publication did not help “in any way to establish clarity and truth, but rather generate confusion and partial and tendentious conclusions.”

Mumbai: Markets ended in the red for the second straight week due to persistent selling pressure from operators and investors following uncertainty over Bihar Assembly election results coupled with disappointing quarterly earnings by blue-chips. Persistent foreign capital outflows, sustained fall in the value of rupee against the dollar also led to fall in share values. Investors refused to play ball as they digested US Fed Chair Janet Yellen’s announcement on Wednesday that a December rate hike is very much on the table as the economy has performed well. Shares of Healthcare, Capital Goods, Metal, Power, Realty and Banking sectors fell sharply due to heavy selling pressure.

The Sensex resumed lower at 26,641.69 and hovered in a range of 26,824.30 and 26,190.18 before closing at more than 5-week low at 26,265.24, showing a loss of 391.59 points or 1.47 per cent. It had last ended at 26,220.95 on October 1, 2015. The Sensex dropped by 1,205.57 points or 4.39 per cent in two weeks. The CNX 50-share Nifty also ended lower by 111.50 points or 1.38 per cent to more than 5-week low of 7,954.30. It had last ended at 7,950.90 on October 1, 2015. It has also dropped by 341.15 points or 4.11 per cent in two weeks.

“Market players remained glued to the developments in Bihar elections, which markets believe may be a catalyst to the investment mood of FPIs and FIIs in the near term,” said Hiren Dhakan, Associate Fund manager, Bonanza Portfolio Ltd.

Forex

The Indian rupee continued to fall against the American currency for the fourth straight week, dropping by 49 paise to close at nearly sixth week low at 65.76 per dollar on sustained dollar demand from banks and importers amidst continued fall in equity market. Persistent foreign capital outflows also affected the rupee value against the dollar, a forex dealer said. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) continued their selling pressure as they sold shares of net worth Rs 1,085.07 crores during the week as per the SEBI’s record, including the provisional figure of November 6.

The domestic currency resumed the week lower at 65.39 per dollar as against last weekend’s level of 65.27 at the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market and dropped further to 65.84 before closing at nearly sixth week low at 65.76 per dollar, showing a loss of 49 paise or 0.75 per cent. The rupee has tumbled by 102 paise or 1.58 per cent in four weeks.It had last ended at 65.96 on September 29, 2015. Globally, the euro finished the week just above a six month low reached after a blockbuster October jobs report.

The dollar rose against the euro and the yen as the US government bond yields rose to their highest levels in nearly seven weeks as investors have been lightening up on their bond holdings following the Fed’s signal a week ago that a rate increase before the end of this year remains on the table. The ICE US dollar index, a measure of the dollar’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was up 2.4 per cent to end the week at 99.1900, just below a six-month high.

In forward market, the premium for dollars recovered on paying pressure from banks and corporates. Forward dollar premium payable in April rose to 203-205 from last weekend’s level of 173-175 paise and far-forward contract maturing in October 2016 also moved up to 410-412 paise from 388-390 paise previously.

The RBI fixed the reference rate for the dollar at 65.7910 and the Euro at 71.5477 from last weekend’s level of 65.2231 and 71.6671 respectively. The rupee climbed against the pound to finish the week at 99.51 from last weekend’s level of 100.22 and strengthened further against the euro to 71.51 from 71.87 previously. The domestic unit also rose against the Japanese currency to close at 53.94 per 100 yen from last weekend’s level of 54.19.

A 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her teenaged neighbour in Surwyan area, police said here today.

The youth raped the girl when she had gone out for some work on Thursday evening, Station Officer Surendra Kumar Pandey said.

The victim brought the matter to the notice of her parents yesterday, following which an FIR was lodged, he said.

The girl has been sent for medical examination and efforts were being made to arrest the accused, Kumar added.

Countering the protests by writers and artistes against “rising intolerance”, Bollywood actor Anupam Kher today led a march to Rashtrapati Bhavan alleging that the “award-wapsi” campaign was to defame the country by projecting a “wrong” picture of the situation.

“India is a very tolerant country. Some people have coined the term ‘growing intolerance’. They are very few. Not every Indian thinks like that. We are secular people. We do not believe in pseudo-secularism, selective outrage or selective patriotism,” Kher, who is the spouse of BJP MP from Chandigarh Kirron Kher, told reporters.

“We had a meeting with a lot of writers, artistes, filmmakers and they also believe that there is no intolerance in the country… This march is a symbolic gesture on part of a lot of people over here who say India is one and free of intolerance,” the 60-year-old said.

Many filmmakers and artistes from the fraternity including Madhur Bhandarkar, Ashoke Pandit, Priyadarshan, Manoj Joshi, Abhijeet Bhattacharya and writer Madhu Kishwar joined the march to hand over a memorandum signed by more than 40 personalities including actress Raveena Tandon.

Bhandarkar, a National Award winner, alleged that those involved in the protest over intolerance had opposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi before he was elected, which raised questions about their intention.

“The projection that is happening for the past few days is very sad. The people who were against Modiji during elections are the same people who are coming out right now.

“The whole projection and narrative that is going abroad is wrong. It is a diverse country and of course there are incidents but we all condemn them. There is no two ways about it,” he said.

Kher asserted that they were not associated with any organisation or political party. “This march is led by Indians and for Indians.”

Film-maker Priyadarshan said the act of returning the awards is “childish”.

“People returning awards are doing a childish act. They should use the power of pen. Instances of intolerance have always been there. It is not something that happened yesterday. Shah Rukh Khan never said he is returning award,” Priyadarshan told PTI.

“They are respected people but behaving like school children,” Priyadarshan said.

He, however, disapproved of those critical of Khan who had said that there was extreme intolerance in the country.

At least 75 members of the intelligentsia have returned national or literary awards in an escalation of protests by writers, historians, filmmakers and scientists over “growing intolerance”, voicing fears that the country’s robust democracy might be “coming apart” in the current atmosphere.

The BJP-led government has dismissed the protest as “manufactured rebellion” and “politically” motivated.

Anupam Kher, while leading his ‘March for India’ campaign said that India is a “tolerant country” and nobody has the right to call it .

NEW DELHI: After being on the run for the past 27 years, underworld don Chhota Rajan was deported here early today from Indonesia by a joint team headed by CBI officials for facing trial in over 70 cases of murder, extortion and drug smuggling against him in Delhi and Mumbai. One of India’s most wanted criminals, the 55-year-old gangster, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, was whisked away soon after landing at the Palam Technical area and taken straight to the barricaded CBI headquarters where a team of officials started questioning him.

There was high drama as the CBI anticipating a large media presence used a decoy car to ward them off. Due to security concerns, Rajan is unlikely to be taken to a Delhi court and instead a magistrate will be brought to the CBI headquarters for his remand, agency sources said, adding that he will also be subjected to the mandatory medical check up. He is expected to the kept in the national capital where he will also be questioned by sleuths of various investigating agencies on his claims of having further evidence to nail India’s most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and his links with Pakistan’s ISI. Rajan, who has reportedly tipped Indian security agencies about the movement of Dawood and his aides, was flown in an Indian Air Force Gulfstream-III aircraft from the Indonesian tourist town Bali. Official cars with flashing lights accompanied by heavy- armed escort vans were seen leaving the Palam Technical Area at around 5:30 AM, as anxious camerapersons and photographers made unsuccessful attempts to get a glimpse of the underworld don, who was in one of those vehicles with tinted glasses. Rajan had told media in Bali that he was happy to return to India and had rubbished reports that his arrest was orchestrated as he was facing threat from Dawood’s men. Ahead of his arrival in India, Maharashtra government made a surprise announcement of handing over all the cases related to the underworld don to the CBI as the agency had expertise in handling such cases. This move comes barely a few days after the state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had been making claims that Rajan will be brought only to Mumbai. The Maharashtra government’s sudden U-turn raised many eyebrows within the police establishment in the megalopolis as the Chief Minister himself had ordered setting up of a special cell inside Arthur Road prison with arrangement for dialysis. Rajan is on dialysis as his both kidneys have been affected. Rajan, after his arrest, had expressed reservation over plans to lodge him in a Mumbai jail, fearing that Dawood may target him there. Rajan had told reporters in Bali that “some in the Mumbai police” have links with Dawood. “The Mumbai police has done a lot of ‘atyachar’ (atrocities) on me,” he had alleged. Till the formalities of CBI to take over the

Maharashtra cases are completed, Rajan will be in the custody of Special Cell of Delhi Police which has six cases registered against him. Rajan was arrested on the basis of an Interpol Red Corner notice at Bali airport on October 25 on his arrival from Australia. His deportation was deferred by a day as the international airport in Bali was shut down due to spewing of volcanic ash from a nearby mountain. Immediately after his flight took off, Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Gurjit Singh tweeted: “#ChotaRajan deported successfully to India. Delay due to Bali airport closure ends. Thanks Indonesia for support.” Rajan is wanted in over 75 crimes ranging from murder, extortion to smuggling and drug trafficking. Mumbai Police has nearly 70 cases registered against Rajan, including 20 of murder, four cases under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, one under Prevention of Terrorism Act and over 20 cases under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. Delhi Police has six cases registered against Rajan, who was a close aide of fugitive underworld don Dawood at one point but parted ways before the 1993 Mumbai blasts were conspired. In 2000, there was an attempt on Rajan’s life when Dawood’s men tracked him down to a hotel in Bangkok but he managed a dramatic escape by jumping from the first floor of the hotel. Rajan had fled India in 1988 for Dubai

An FIR has been lodged against the constables of the Andheri Police station after a video went viral in which the men in uniform were seen abusing and beating a young couple. Ghulam Maqbool Sheikh, an eyewitness to the brutality, said the woman was slapped repeatedly by the cops until she was bleeding. “The couple was fighting outside the police station when a constable asked the girl if she was being harassed. She said it was a personal matter and did not want any interference by the cops, nevertheless they were taken inside the police station,” Sheikh told ANI. –

The boy and the girl were made to sit separately and after a while she got scared and started creating a commotion, which is when the cops started slapping her. “She asked her friend to help her and when he came forward the police did not spare him as well and beat him up badly. The woman kept screaming for mercy but to no avail,” the eyewitness added. Sheikh, who works for an NGO, filmed the entire incident on camera and demanded action against the cops. “We are going to file an FIR against the cops involved in the attack on my clients at the Andheri Police station at 12:30 am on November 2nd. The couple was thrashed by the cops, including the woman constable, and was also illegally detained in the lock-up. They were also taken to the hospital for an illegal medical examination and we have the certificate as proof,” Nitin Satpute, the lawyer of the complainant told ANI.

Satpute asserted that the video was used as leverage against the cops, who had vehemently refused to file the FIR saying it would lower the image of the Mumbai Police. This is the second instance in a month where the Mumbai cops have come under the scanner for their brutality. Earlier, two Muslim youth were allegedly told to go to Pakistan by a police constable inside the Bandra police station before being brutally assaulted in custody.

Kapil Mishra Delhi minister Kapil Mishra has become the next politicians to join the war against growing intolerance in the country with is recent tweet criticising BJP for comparing actor Shah Rukh Khan with Pakistan terrorist Hafiz Saeed. Also read | The Karawal Nagar AAP MLA slammed BJP leaders for the statement against Shah Rukh Khan. &; Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishraAAP) November 5, 2015 A massive controversy broke out on Tuesday after BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh Kailash Vijayvargiya said that Shah Rukh live in India but his heart was in Pakistan.

Vijayvargiya’s remark was followed by supportive reaction from his party colleague Yogi Adityanath and VHP leader Sadhvi Parchi. However, following huge criticism, Vijayvargiya withdrew his remarks and clarified his tweet a day after. Shah Rukh Khan was also supported by Shiv Sena which said the superstar should not be targeted only because he is a Muslim. The party, which is having a tough time with the BJP said that the minority community in India is “tolerant”. Also read |

“This country is tolerant and the Muslims are tolerant as well. Shah Rukh Khan should not be targeted only because he is a Muslim,” Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said. Actor Anupam Kher and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too extended their support to the actor saying that they are proud of him. Also read: BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya had on Tuesday in a series of tweet targeted Shah Rukh and had said his “soul” is in Pakistan though he lives in India. His remarks came a day after the 50-year-old actor said there is “extreme intolerance” in the country